


Making Things Right

by RoseThorn14



Series: Racing Time [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: About shitty writers and characterisation, Apologies, Civil War Team Iron Man, Fix-It, Not Steve Friendly, People are actually in character instead of acting like assholes for no reason, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), The Author is Bitter, of sorts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-25
Updated: 2018-08-29
Packaged: 2019-07-02 08:29:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,074
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15792834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoseThorn14/pseuds/RoseThorn14
Summary: After Civil War, a lot of apologies need to be made.It won't be easy, but everyone knows they need to make things right.





	1. Natasha

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Natasha shows us how to make a real apology.

It was a full month after he’d gotten out of Siberia before he saw Nat again. The comment about his ego, which had been a large part of the reason he went there in the first place, still stung. 

He eyed the former assassin warily. Any semblance of trust between them had burnt to ashes. 

Her hair was blonde now. Tony didn’t care enough anymore to tell her that she looked better in red. She probably knew anyway. 

Tony had gotten out of hospital two weeks ago, much to the distress of his doctors, but he’d didn’t have time to stay longer. He simply had too many things to do, from fixing Rhodey, to making plans, to reinstalling the arc reactor. Not to mention rebuilding some form of team to defend the world from the rubble Rogers left behind. 

The note had put a spanner in his works and Tony hadn’t talked to anyone for close to ten hours. Figures the Widow would come to rub salt in the wound.

“Are you here to chastise me about my ego? Or blame for not getting the others out of the Raft before Rogers did?” he asked, not quite managing to keep the bight out of his voice. 

Natasha looked down and took a shaky breath that Tony almost believed. She looked him in the eyes and Tony saw something he’d never seen there before. Vulnerability. Not the fake innocence she’d shown him back when she was spying on him, or the false comradery she used to offer. This was someone entirely different.

“No,” she murmured quietly. “I’m here to apologise.”

\-----

Natasha was surprised when she managed to get into Tony’s office. Although, now that she’d thought about it, he had always seemed to keep security most lax when concerning himself. Especially after Ultron.

Natasha would admit that she’d been a bitch. A worthless, backstabbing bitch. And now she was regretting it. Despite what most people thought, Natasha wasn’t completely unfeeling. But, she knew she wasn’t entirely human anymore. She hadn’t been since she was a child. Between being an assassin for Russia, then SHIELD and then all the Avengers responsibilities, she’d never actually gone to anyone to heal her little problem surrounding emotions.

A week after the fight in Germany, Natasha found Steve. He’d given her his version of what had happened in Siberia. They’d both been on the run and she hadn’t been in the position to question him. Although, after two weeks with no mention of Tony in the media, she’d done her own digging. 

It had been laughably easy for her to hack into the Hydra base, which was, in itself, an indicator of what would be to come months from then, but she wasn’t thinking about that at the time. 

Steve had severely downplayed what had happened to Tony. Plus, he hadn’t told him about his parents. That had come as a shock to her. He’d promised her that he’d tell him. That was two years ago, and Natasha had just assumed he’d followed through. She was ashamed to admit that she hadn’t cared enough to ask or been smart enough to try and notice if she could tell from Tony’s behaviour.

She’d left Steve after that, not quite managing to hide that she’d been unhappy with him.

Natasha spent the trip doing some critical thinking and was finally ready to admit something she thought she never would. She was wrong. About Steve. About Tony. About everything. 

She’d looked up the effects of metal poisoning on the brain and, with a sinking feeling, realised the report she’d written and accepted as gospel was about as accurate as the tabloids. It shouldn’t have taken her that long.

To be honest, Tony was probably one of the few people Natasha could have genuinely been friends with, but she hadn’t let him. Instead, she’d used him, just like the rest of them. It was her own ego that she needed to look at. She judged him because she thought her skills infallible.

Now, standing in front of Tony, she didn’t know what to say. Nothing could make it right. And, after everything she’d done, she couldn’t trust herself to not immediately revert back to manipulation. It was all she knew. Sometimes, she didn’t even know she was doing it. Like with Bruce. It had been almost a month into their flirting when she realised she didn’t really mean it and only wanted to control one of the few things that scared her at the time: The Hulk. The revelation hadn’t stopped her. 

“I’m here to apologise,” she told Tony and immediately knew he didn’t believe her. Why should he?

“You don’t have to believe me. In fact, you shouldn’t. I don’t want you to help or forgive me. God knows I don’t deserve it.”

Tony frowned slightly, and Nat swallowed. Only Clint, Coulson and Fury had ever seen this side of her. It was time to be completely honest. 

“I hacked into the Hydra base – you should know there were cameras in there – and I just want to tell you that I didn’t know. I mean, I knew, but I thought he would tell you. He told me he’d tell you.”

Another shaky breath. “I’m sorry I didn’t check.”

Tony finally spoke, his voice quiet and croaky. “I shouldn’t believe you.”

Nat’s eyes stung. “No, you shouldn’t. I’m the Black Widow. I’ve never met someone I didn’t try to manipulate. I’m not sure I know how not to.”

Her heart clenched. She hadn’t told anyone that.

She took something out of her pocket and looked down as she set it on the table. She continued, despite Tony’s sharp intake of breath. 

“Do with this what you will. My one is the number programmed into it. You can track me down. Hell, you can track everyone down, I’ll be meeting up with them now that Steve has already broken them out. He tends to do things like that when he’s left alone for too long.”

She tried to smooth her features, “I don’t think you should call if you need someone, though. I’m not really the person to talk to for that. But, if you want to shout at someone who actually deserves it, I can promise I’ll answer and not be an asshole back. If I don’t, I’m either dead or getting what I deserve.”

She walked back to the door, glancing at him one last time. “Goodbye, Tony. I’ll keep the others off your back.”

She hadn’t expected the little flip phone in her pocket to ever ring. But, as with everything he did, a month later, Tony surprised her. 

“Say I was willing to forgive you – how do I know you won’t just screw me over again?” he snapped.

Natasha paused. “You don’t.”

“I appreciate the honesty,” he replied. “But, don’t think I trust you. You’re going to have to earn that back.”

“Of course not,” she replied. 

“Good. We understand each other.”

There were a few beats of silence. 

“Now, let me tell you about how fucking annoying Ross was this morning.”

Natasha grinned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't approve of pretty much any of the decisions made in Civil War, but I do think Team Iron Man was the least wrong. Also, in that last scene, Steve was completely in the wrong and that letter was just pathetic. 
> 
> I will not be doing a Steve and Bucky chapter, they will be dealt with in my main fic. This is just setting the stage for the next one since I'm trying to make it more of a Peter Parker and Loki centric as apposed to a Civil War fallout fic. Thus, I'm dealing with all the drama now. 
> 
> I solemnly promise, the only character I will give a really hard time is Steve Rogers, but even then, I will try and give him some form of redemption ark.
> 
> I admit, I'm a sucker for the Team Iron Man brings in Team Cap to answer for their crimes trope, but I want to be a bit kinder to the characters.
> 
> Also, I love Natasha, so I was never gonna demonise her too much.


	2. The Ants

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few bugs make their way into Tony's office.

Two weeks after his visit from the Widow, Tony found three relatively unfamiliar people standing in front of him. Hope Van Dyne had been trying to reach him since about a week after Siberia. Pym Technologies had publicly announced that it didn’t support Lang’s actions, much to everyone’s surprise and she had helped Pepper make reparations to Germany through unprecedented partnerships between the two companies. Her efforts to contact him personally had doubled after the Rogue prison break.

Tony was surprised to find that Barton and Lang had decided not to leave with the rest of Team Cap. The deals he had gotten for them must have been good enough to stop them from breaking any more laws. Since their crimes were limited to illegal entry and property damage, Germany had been content with them paying reparations and being put on house arrest. Plus, once someone had actually put a copy of the Accords in front of them and forced them to read it, they’re minds seemed to change. 

Tony had decided to finally relent and let them through. Rhodey and Pepper had dragged him out of the lab and neither them, Happy or Friday were going to let him back in for at least another 36 hours. He may as well stop putting this off. 

A deep sigh tore itself from a scowling Van Dyne. She reached her arms up and roughly pushed the men on either side of her forward.

“These two,” she announced, her voice steely as she eyed them like they were toddlers in trouble, “have something to say to you.”

Another beat of silence and then Lang looked down. “I’m sorry Mr Stark. I don’t have an excuse other than I was an idiot. Captain America called up, told me I needed to fight some bad guys and I listened blindly. I thought I was doing the right thing, however, it is now very clear that I wasn’t. I also want to thank you for helping not get thrown in some international prison for the rest of my life.”

Tony’s eyes widened a little. He hadn’t been expecting something that extensive. Maybe a grunted ‘I’m sorry’ at the most. Pepper hadn’t wanted him to pull the strings for Barton and Lang, but he knew that they weren’t really to blame for all this. There were countless people in America who would have reacted exactly the same given the situation. After all, in the eyes of the media, Rogers was the paragon of all things good and Tony was the worthless playboy billionaire – the Merchant of Death. Who wouldn’t think it was Cap who was in the right? Especially without all the facts.

Van Dyne cleared her throat loudly. Her father snarled.

“Fine,” he grunted. “I am… also sorry, Stark.”

Tony had to stop himself from gaping. What? He had never expected to see Hank Pym, let alone have him apologise.

Van Dyne tapped her foot expectantly. Apparently, there was more.

“I’ve projected my issues surrounding your father onto you and apparently knocked them into Scott as well. That was… unfair, I suppose. Also, I looked into your father’s apparent thievery and discovered that he didn’t actually do the stealing. That was all SHIELD. I should’ve known. Your father was a bastard, but he stuck to designing his own tech… mostly.”

Tony must be dead. What the hell is going on here?

Finally, Van Dyne nodded, satisfied. Then, she stepped forward.

“I would also like to apologise. It’s kind of my job to keep these two in check. I failed.”

Tony winced. He knew the feeling.

“As an actual apology, I want to offer my services. I am in possession of a suit similar to Scott’s and would like to formally sign up for the Avengers.”

She took a piece of paper (Was that a resume?) out of her bag and handed to him. At a swift elbow, Lang followed suite. 

“I do too, once my sentence is up, of course,” Lang contributed. 

“We have both already signed the Accords and I am willing to start now.”

This time, Tony actually gaped. He had heard about the whole mess they’d been in with the FBI, since they had been operating outside the Accords until about a week ago, but they’d readily signed once they were detained (the second time). Tony made a mental note to follow that up. As far as he knew, they operated within USA borders, so they shouldn’t have needed to sign. Tony would have to address that with the Committee later. The Accords should only have been for people who were looking at operating internationally. Although, he guessed they should probably institute protocols for country-based superheroes as well.

He shook his head. He needed to focus. 

Van Dyne raised an eyebrow expectantly.

“What?” he asked, still blindsided. He’d made plans for building a new team once he’d dealt with Ross, but he hadn’t expected people to come to him.

“The Avengers are still a thing, right?” (Barely, he interjected silently) “Plus, there is still that whole alien debacle we have to deal with. They must be coming back sometime. And if not them, someone else?”

Tony’s brain finally started working again.

“SHIELD and the majority of my former team didn’t think so. But don’t worry, I’ve been working on a few things. I actually wasn’t planning on getting a new team together for a few months, but I think we can take you on now as a consultant. I just need to deal with the media and a few political rats before I start expanding the ranks. Although, thank you for making my job a little bit easier.”

Van Dyne’s eyes twinkled. “You have a plan.”

Tony shrugged. “I have about twelve percent of one.”

She smirked. “Well myself and Pym Technologies give you our full support.”

She held out her hand. 

Tony glanced down at the sheet of paper in his hands as he took it.

“Welcome to the team, Wasp.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a few notes on what's happening with Antman and the Wasp. 
> 
> *Warning* *Spoilers*
> 
> \- You don't need to read this unless you've watched Antman and the Wasp and want things cleared up.
> 
> The movie is cannon apart from when it occurred.
> 
> Hope and Hank decided to act a week after Scott got out instead of at the end of his sentence. Hope didn't sign the Accords straight away because she knew they'd stop her going to the Quantam Realm to get her Mum back. 
> 
> Afterwards, she did because she agrees with them (Umm, hello, the whole point of the first Antman movie was that they didn't think the YellowJacket suit was going to be used correctly and they wanted their power to be overseen by the right people. Besides, Hope's savvy enough to know when something's too serious to avoid).


	3. Clint

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another apologie. Another redemtpion.

Clint stood out on his porch. He’d just come out of his third session with Professor Xavier. The man had turned up outside of his house about a week after he was let out of the Raft. Apparently Stark had called him up. 

Clint glanced at the phone in his hands. His heart twisted. He owed Stark everything. The man had gotten him out of prison pretty much scot free – house arrest seemed like a dream compared to what he thought he’d been facing – and had made sure his family was safe when he was off being an idiot. 

The Professor had found evidence of what he called ‘malignant compulsion’ in his mind that had been making him feel angry and volatile. It had also apparently made him project those feelings towards Stark. Clint didn’t need to be told who did that to him. His rage was only slightly cowed by the fact that Professor Xavier was certain Wanda didn’t actually mean to enter his mind and was unconsciously influencing those around her.

The knowledge he’d been mind controlled only brought slight relief. His gut twisted at the memories of Loki, which now plagued him every night. Along with that, Professor Xavier told him that it didn’t entirely let him off the hook, as his mind needed to be vulnerable and his emotions already predispositioned towards malice. Which was just a fancy way of saying that it only worked on assholes and idiots. Clint supposed that was why Rhodes and Vision hadn’t fought the Accords (fought Stark) like everyone else. 

Clint’s gut twisted again as he opened his phone and he had to stop himslef from fiddling nervously with his hearing aid. Things with Laura had gotten better after they’d found out about the mind influence (he didn’t want to call it control, since Professor Xavier had stressed that it wouldn’t have completely dictated his actions, merely suggested them in his mind, and now that he was thinking about it, Clint had seemed to snap out of the whole ‘Accords are evil’ thing as soon as the collar went on, but he still acted like an asshole to Stark anyway), but the kids were having more trouble forgiving him. Laura had informed him that she wouldn’t be letting him in the bed till he did this. He agreed with her.

Well, there’s no use putting this off.

With little fanfare, he pressed the button. The phone was answered before he could chicken out.

“Stark,” a cold, hard voice answered. 

“I know you know who it is,” Clint told him.

There was a pause. “Yeah, Laura told me you’d be calling sometime soon.”

They lapsed into silence for about ten seconds before Clint blew out a breath.

“Look, Stark. I don’t know how to start – I’ve never been very good at these,” he admitted. “But, I’m sorry. For everything.”

“Yeah, well you were mind controlled, weren’t you?”

“You and I both know that’s bullshit. I was an asshole to you even before Wanda accidentally messed with my emotions and she wasn’t completely controlling me in the Raft.”

Another pause. Stark grunted.

Not good enough, Clint.

“We should have treated you better. Ultron wasn’t your fault – I knew that. I just wanted someone to blame. That wasn’t fair of me. In fact, that was really shitty of me.”

This time Stark answered, but his voice was softer than before. “Y’know, for a while there we had a good thing going. I was happy. Then, suddenly it wasn’t, and it didn’t work anymore.”

Clint continued for him, the memories flashing before his eyes. “It started breaking down before Ultron. It wasn’t your fault. None of us trusted each other. Not in the right ways.”

“No,” Stark disagreed. “None of you trusted me.”

Clint nodded. “And all of us trusted Steve.”

The silence told him Stark agreed.

“I had faith in the wrong people,” Clint admitted. “First my brother, then SHIELD, then Steve. I don’t know who to trust.” 

After a beat, he added, “Besides Laura.”

“I… don’t know what to say to that,” Stark’s voice held a vulnerability Clint hadn’t heard before. 

Clint felt a stab of regret. Him and Stark weren’t so different when it came down to it and he thought that maybe they could’ve been real friends at one point. Clint didn’t know what else to say. He wanted to make things right but didn’t know how.

“Y’know, after your house arrest is over, you could probably join the team again – if you don’t want to continue retirement of course.”

Clint snorted. “Yeah, cos that worked out so brilliantly for me last night.”

He paused, considering the offer. “I think I’d like that.”

Stark’s voice was brighter than he’d heard in months. “In that case, let’s start over – Hi. My name’s Tony – occasional asshole, inventor, billionaire, genius, former playboy and philanthropist.”

Clint smiled. “Nice to meet you, Tony. I’m Clint – occasional asshole, father of three, archer and former spy.”

Tony laughed. “Nice to meet you.”

“And Tony?”

“Yeah.”

“Thank you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, I really like Clint, so I gave him a redemption ark. His character in Civil War was really OOC for me. 
> 
> Also, I made him deaf, like in the comics.


	4. Wanda

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony's pays the Witch a visit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I encourage everyone to read the comments on this chapter - people have made some really interesting points about Wanda's character development in the MCU. 
> 
> Please join the debate and tell me your perspective!

Stark was sitting in front of her. 

Wanda honestly didn’t know how to feel about that.

She’d asked Steve to drop her off somewhere in Scotland for a while. She needed time to clear her head alone. He’d given her some of the money T’Challa had offered when he’d turned them away and she’d used it to buy an apartment. Vision had found her about a week later and now, a month and a half after that, Stark was sitting in her living room.

He looked like shit. His eyes were lined with dark bags and he was radiating guilt. Not just in his expression – his guilt was pulling at Wanda’s mental barrier worse than it was before this whole debacle.

“I’m sorry,” he told her.

She frowned. What?

“I’m sorry,” he repeated. “For everything. For back at the Compound. I shouldn’t have kept you there. I should have let you have a choice. I should have sat you down and explained why I wanted you to stay and I shouldn’t have made Vision do it. I’m sorry.”

Wanda’s eyes widened. Stark pulled in a shake breath.

“And I’m sorry for your family.”

Wanda flinched. She didn’t know if she could ever forgive him for that. Unbidden, her magic flew to her fingers as the rage grew inside her.

“No,” a man’s voice said.

Wanda looked up. She’d forgotten Vision was in the room. He gave Wanda a small, warning glance as he stepped forward. Her heart tugged. It would take Vision a while to forgive her for throwing him through the floor.

“Tony. It wasn’t your fault. You know that.”

Tony scowled. “Ignorance is just as bad as malevolence.”

“What do you mean,” Wanda asked, eyebrows furrowed.

Vision looked at Wanda. “Tony didn’t sell that weapon. It didn’t go off, right? That means it was defective. Stark Industries didn’t sell defective weapons. I traced the serial number on that shell to an under the counter deal Obadiah Stane made to one of the insurgent groups in Sokovia. He profited from that weapon, not Mr Stark.”

Wanda felt hollow, like all her insides had fell out. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Stark shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. It’s my fault anyway.”

“No, it’s not.” Even Wanda surprised herself with her immediate reply. 

Her gut twisted. She believed herself. Oh god, she’d been blaming him all this time. Harbouring this unjust anger. And for what? She’d tried to do something about it – joined HYDRA, which was probably the worst decision she’d ever made. It didn’t matter that, at the time, her and Pietro hadn’t really known that it was a Nazi organisation and that they’d only thought it was a rebel group with international pull, they had still supported them. 

She felt sick. Steve and the team had assured her that it was alright. She’d made the right decision eventually. But she’d always known it would take the rest of her life to make up for it. That’s why she’d always volunteered for every mission Steve went on. Now, knowing that it was completely for nothing, made her feel infinitely worse.

Stark looked at her, shocked, for a few seconds before shaking his head again.

“Thank you for the confidence, but, it really is. I should have known what was happening in my own company and not neglected it enough for Stane to take advantage of it. Regardless, I should not have treated you like a child. You are a grown woman capable of making your own decisions. I know it’s not a proper excuse – but, I was just trying to protect you.”

Wanda was silent for a few moments before she answered. “I understand.”

And she did. Vision had talked to her and made her understand her situation. She wished she’d stayed at the Compound, but it was too late for that now.

Stark blew out a relieved breath. “You don’t have to forgive me. But will you accept my help?”

Wanda nodded.

“I know you’re having trouble with your powers and I think I found someone who can help you. Will you agree to see them?”

Wanda hesitated. Her fingers curled into a fist. She could see the red energy around them, but she hadn’t called it. She nodded.

The door opened. A man in a wheelchair rolled in.

“Wanda, meet Professor Charles Xavier.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I didn't fully redeem Wanda in this chapter, but I definitely put her on the path to redemption.
> 
> The implication is that she'll receive therapy and lessons from Professor X and that her and Vision will be developing their relationship.
> 
> P.S. she forgives Stark and Stark forgives her.


	5. Sam

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam gets a wake up call.

Sam’s eyes were rimmed red. 

The guilt had been eating away at him over the last two months, but he hadn’t had the courage to contact Rhodes. It was his fault the man would never be able to walk again. It didn’t matter that Rhodes hadn’t been directly his fault, like Steve continually assured him – Rhodes wouldn’t have even been in the situation if they hadn’t rebelled.

Ten minutes ago, the videos from the Siberian bunker had been strewn across the internet. Steve had told him about most of it (eventually, after Natasha made him), but not the last part. Not the part where he slammed his shield into the arc reactor and just left Stark there. His gut lurched at the thought of it. Regardless, the fight looked a lot worse on film than it had sounded when Steve explained it.

He thought he’d been doing the right thing. They all had. He’d supported his friend and fought against the Avengers being controlled by a government that could prevent them from going where they needed. But, as time went on, it was increasingly looking like they’re sacrifice hadn’t been worth it. 

Sam felt sick. He’d paralysed a man, went against the UN and had made himself an international terrorist. Sure, the Raft had been unethical, but what did he expect when he decided to go toe to toe with Ross?

His hands shook as he pulled out a phone. He’d had to beg Natasha for a way to contact Stark and she’d only given it to him after she’d called Stark first to make sure it was okay.

His gut twisted. Once he went down this path, there was no backing out. He’d need to answer for what he did. But, it was time to start being a hero again.

He flipped the phone open and dialled the only number programmed into it.

It was time to make things right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short last chapter, but honestly, Sam is pretty redeemable in my eyes and I know that he would have given a proper apology, so I don't need to show that conversation.
> 
> What can I say? I like Falcon.
> 
> I hope you liked this little fic. It's mostly to give a bit of background for my next fic, which is and Infinity War AU.


End file.
